At the tomb of the Prince of the Apostles, in the majestic Vatican
Basilica, Our immediate Predecessor of deathless memory, Pius XI, duly
consecrated and raised to the fullness of the priesthood, as you well
know, "the flowers and . . . latest buds of the Chinese episcopate."[1]

2. On that solemn occasion he added these words: "You have come,
Venerable Brethren, to visit Peter, and you have received from him the
shepherd's staff, with which to undertake your apostolic journeys and to
gather together your sheep. It is Peter who with great love has embraced
you who are in great part Our hope for the spread of the truth of the
Gospel among your people."[2]

3. The memory of that allocution comes to Our mind today, Venerable
Brethren and dear children, as the Catholic Church in your fatherland is
experiencing great suffering and loss. But the hope of our great
Predecessor was not in vain, nor did it prove without effect, for new
bands of shepherds and heralds of the Gospel have been joined to the
first group of bishops whom Peter, living in his Successor, sent to feed
those chosen flocks of the Lord.

4. New works and religious undertakings prospered among you despite many
obstacles. We too shared that hope when later We had the pleasure of
establishing the hierarchy in China and saw yet wider paths opening up
for the spread of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ.

5. But, alas, after a few years the sky was overcast by storm clouds. On
your Christian communities, many of which had been flourishing from times
long past, there fell sad and sorrowful times. Missionaries, among whom
were many archbishops and bishops noted for their apostolic zeal, and Our
own Internuncio were driven from China, while bishops, priests, and
religious men and women, together with many of the faithful, were cast
into prison or incurred every kind of restraint and suffering.

6. On that occasion We raised Our voice in sorrow, and, in Our Encyclical
of January 18, 1952, Cupimus imprimis,[3] rebuked the unjust attack. In
that letter, for the sake of truth and conscious of Our duty, We declared
that the Catholic Church is a stranger to no people on earth, much less
hostile to any. With a mother's anxiety, she embraces all peoples in
impartial charity. She seeks no earthly advantage but employs what powers
she possesses to attract the souls of all men to seek what is eternal. We
also stated that missionaries promote the interest of no particular
nation; they come from every quarter of the earth and are united by a
single love, God, and thus they seek and hope for nothing else save the
spread of God's kingdom. Thus, it is clear that their work is neither
without purpose nor harmful, but beneficent and necessary since it aids
Chinese priests in their Christian apostolate.

7. And some two years later, October 7, 1954, another Encyclical Letter
was addressed to you, beginning Ad Sinarum gentem,[4] in which We refuted
accusations made against Catholics in China. We openly declared that
Catholics yielded to none (nor could they do so) in their true loyalty
and love of their native country. Seeing also that there was being spread
among you the doctrine of the so-called "three autonomies," We warned--by
virtue of that universal teaching authority which We exercise by divine
command--that this same doctrine as understood by its authors, whether in
theory or in its consequences, cannot receive the approval of a Catholic,
since it turns minds away from the essential unity of the Church.

8. In these days, however, We have to draw attention to the fact that the
Church in your lands in recent years has been brought to still worse
straits. In the midst of so many great sorrows it brings Us great comfort
to note that in the daily attacks which you have met neither unflinching
faith nor the most ardent love of the Divine Redeemer and of His Church
has been wanting. You have borne witness to this faith and love in
innumerable ways, of which only a small part is known to men, but for all
of which you will someday receive an eternal reward from God.

9. Nevertheless We regard it as Our duty to declare openly, with a heart
filled to its depths with sorrow and anxiety, that affairs in China are,
by deceit and cunning endeavor, changing so much for the worse that the
false doctrine already condemned by Us seems to be approaching its final
stages and to be causing its most serious damage.

10. For by particularly subtle activity an association has been created
among you to which has been attached the title of "patriotic," and
Catholics are being forced by every means to take part in it.

This association--as has often been proclaimed--was formed ostensibly to
join the clergy and the faithful in love of their religion and their
country, with these objectives in view: that they might foster patriotic
sentiments; that they might advance the cause of international peace;
that they might accept that species of socialism which has been
introduced among you and, having accepted it, support and spread it;
that, finally, they might actively cooperate with civil authorities in
defending what they describe as political and religious freedom. And
yet--despite these sweeping generalizations about defense of peace and
the fatherland, which can certainly deceive the unsuspecting--it is
perfectly clear that this association is simply an attempt to execute
certain well defined and ruinous policies.

11. For under an appearance of patriotism, which in reality is just a
fraud, this association aims primarily at making Catholics gradually
embrace the tenets of atheistic materialism, by which God Himself is
denied and religious principles are rejected.

12. Under the guise of defending peace the same association receives and
spreads false rumors and accusations by which many of the clergy,
including venerable bishops and even the Holy See itself, are claimed to
admit to and promote schemes for earthly domination or to give ready and
willing consent to exploitation of the people, as if they, with
preconceived opinions, are acting with hostile intent against the Chinese
nation.

13. While they declare that it is essential that every kind of freedom
exist in religious matters and that this makes mutual relations between
the ecclesiastical and civil powers easier, this association in reality
aims at setting aside and neglecting the rights of the Church and
effecting its complete subjection to civil authorities.

14. Hence all its members are forced to approve those unjust
prescriptions by which missionaries are cast into exile, and by which
bishops, priests, religious men, nuns, and the faithful in considerable
numbers are thrust into prison; to consent to those measures by which the
jurisdiction of many legitimate pastors is persistently obstructed; to
defend wicked principles totally opposed to the unity, universality, and
hierarchical constitution of the Church; to admit those first steps by
which the clergy and faithful are undermined in the obedience due to
legitimate bishops; and to separate Catholic communities from the
Apostolic See.

15. In order to spread these wicked principles more efficiently and to
fix them in everyone's mind, this association--which, as We have said,
boasts of its patriotism--uses a variety of means including violence and
oppression, numerous lengthy publications, and group meetings and
congresses.

16. In these meetings, the unwilling are forced to take part by
incitement, threats, and deceit. If any bold spirit strives to defend
truth, his voice is easily smothered and overcome and he is branded with
a mark of infamy as an enemy of his native land and of the new society.

17. There should also be noted those courses of instruction by which
pupils are forced to imbibe and embrace this false doctrine. Priests,
religious men and women, ecclesiastical students, and faithful of all
ages are forced to attend these courses. An almost endless series of
lectures and discussions, lasting for weeks and months, so weaken and
benumb the strength of mind and will that by a kind of psychic coercion
an assent is extracted which contains almost no human element, an assent
which is not freely asked for as should be the case.

18. In addition to these there are the methods by which minds are
upset--by every device, in private and in public, by traps, deceits,
grave fear, by so-called forced confessions, by custody in a place where
citizens are forcibly "reeducated," and those "Peoples' Courts" to which
even venerable bishops are ignominiously dragged for trial.

19. Against methods of acting such as these, which violate the principal
rights of the human person and trample on the sacred liberty of the sons
of God, all Christians from every part of the world, indeed all men of
good sense cannot refrain from raising their voices with Us in real
horror and from uttering a protest deploring the deranged conscience of
their fellow men.

20. And since these crimes are being committed under the guise of
patriotism, We consider it Our duty to remind everyone once again of the
Church's teaching on this subject.

21. For the Church exhorts and encourages Catholics to love their country
with sincere and strong love, to give due obedience in accord with
natural and positive divine law to those who hold public office, to give
them active and ready assistance for the promotion of those undertakings
by which their native land can in peace and order daily achieve greater
prosperity and further true development.

22. The Church has always impressed on the minds of her children that
declaration of the Divine Redeemer: "Render therefore to Caesar the
things that are Caesar's and to God the things that are God's."[5] We
call it a declaration because these words make certain and incontestable
the principle that Christianity never opposes or obstructs what is truly
useful or advantageous to a country.

23. However, if Christians are bound in conscience to render to Caesar
(that is, to human authority) what belongs to Caesar, then Caesar
likewise, or those who control the state, cannot exact obedience when
they would be usurping God's rights or forcing Christians either to act
at variance with their religious duties or to sever themselves from the
unity of the Church and its lawful hierarchy.

24. Under such circumstances, every Christian should cast aside all doubt
and calmly and firmly repeat the words with which Peter and the other
Apostles answered the first persecutors of the Church: "We must obey God
rather than men."[6]

25. With emphatic insistence, those who promote the interests of this
association which claims a monopoly on patriotism, speak over and over
again of peace and admonish Catholics earnestly to exert all their
efforts to establish it. On the surface these words are excellent and
righteous, for who deserves greater praise than the man who prepares the
way to introduce and establish peace?

26. But peace--as you well know, Venerable Brethren and beloved
sons--does not consist of words alone and does not rely on changing
formulas which are suitable for the moment but contradict one's real
plans and practices, which do not conform with the meaning and way of
true peace but with hatred, discord, and deceit.

27. Peace worthy of the name must be founded on the principles of charity
and justice which He taught who is the "Prince of Peace,"[7] and who
adopted this title as a kind of royal standard for Himself. True peace is
that which the Church desires to be established: one that is stable,
just, fair, and founded on right order; one which binds all
together--citizens, families, and peoples--by the firm ties of the rights
of the Supreme Lawgiver, and by the bonds of mutual fraternal love and
cooperation.

28. As she looks forward to and hopes for this peaceful dwelling together
of nations, the Church expects each nation to preserve that degree of
dignity which becomes it. For the Church, which has ever kept a friendly
attitude toward the various events in your country, long ago spoke
through Our late Predecessor of happy memory and expressed the desire
that "full recognition be given to the legitimate aspirations and rights
of the nation, which is more populous than any other, whose civilization
and culture go back to the earliest times, which has, in past ages, with
the development of its resources, had periods of great prosperity, and
which--it may be reasonably conjectured--will become even greater in the
future ages, provided it pursues justice and honor."[8]

29. On the other hand, as has been made known by radio and by the press,
there are some--even among the ranks of the clergy--who do not shrink
from casting suspicion on the Apostolic See and hint that it has evil
designs toward your country.

30. Assuming false and unjust premises, they are not afraid to take a
position which would confine within a narrow scope the supreme teaching
authority of the Church, claiming that there are certain questions--such
as those which concern social and economic matters--in which Catholics
may ignore the teachings and the directives of this Apostolic See.

31. This opinion--it seems entirely unnecessary to demonstrate its
existence--is utterly false and full of error because, as We declared a
few years ago to a special meeting of Our Venerable Brethren in the
episcopacy:

32. "The power of the Church is in no sense limited to so-called
'strictly religious matters'; but the whole matter of the natural law,
its institution, interpretation and application, in so far as the moral
aspect is concerned, are within its power.

33. "By God's appointment the observance of the natural law concerns the
way by which man must strive toward his supernatural end. The Church
shows the way and is the guide and guardian of men with respect to their
supernatural end."[9]

34. This truth had already been wisely explained by Our Predecessor St.
Pius X in his Encyclical Letter Singulari quadam of September 24, 1912,
in which he made this statement: "All actions of a Christian man so far
as they are morally either good or bad--that is, so far as they agree
with or are contrary to the natural and divine law--fall under the
judgment and jurisdiction of the Church."[10]

35. Moreover, even when those who arbitrarily set and defend these narrow
limits profess a desire to obey the Roman Pontiff with regard to truths
to be believed, and to observe what they call ecclesiastical directives,
they proceed with such boldness that they refuse to obey the precise and
definite prescriptions of the Holy See. They protest that these refer to
political affairs because of a hidden meaning by the author, as if these
prescriptions took their origin from some secret conspiracy against their
own nation.

36. Here We must mention a symptom of this falling away from the Church.
It is a very serious matter and fills Our heart--the heart of a Father
and universal Pastor of the faithful--with a grief that defies
description. For those who profess themselves most interested in the
welfare of their country have for some considerable time been striving to
disseminate among the people the position, devoid of all truth, that
Catholics have the power of directly electing their bishops. To excuse
this kind of election they allege a need to look after the good souls
with all possible speed and to entrust the administration of dioceses to
those pastors who, because they do not oppose the communist desires and
political methods, are acceptable by the civil power.

37. We have heard that many such elections have been held contrary to all
right and law and that, in addition, certain ecclesiastics have rashly
dared to receive episcopal consecration, despite the public and severe
warning which this Apostolic See gave those involved.

Since, therefore, such serious offenses against the discipline and unity
of the Church are being committed, We must in conscience warn all that
this is completely at variance with the teachings and principles on which
rests the right order of the society divinely instituted by Jesus Christ
our Lord.

38. For it has been clearly and expressly laid down in the canons that it
pertains to the one Apostolic See to judge whether a person is fit for
the dignity and burden of the episcopacy,[11] and that complete freedom
in the nomination of bishops is the right of the Roman Pontiff.[12] But
if, as happens at times, some persons or groups are permitted to
participate in the selection of an episcopal candidate, this is lawful
only if the Apostolic See has allowed it in express terms and in each
particular case for clearly defined persons or groups, the conditions and
circumstances being very plainly determined.

39. Granted this exception, it follows that bishops who have been neither
named nor confirmed by the Apostolic See, but who, on the contrary, have
been elected and consecrated in defiance of its express orders, enjoy no
powers of teaching or of jurisdiction since jurisdiction passes to
bishops only through the Roman Pontiff as We admonished in the Encyclical
Letter Mystici Corporis in the following words: ". . . As far as his own
diocese is concerned each (bishop) feeds the flock entrusted to him as a
true shepherd and rules it in the name of Christ. Yet in exercising this
office they are not altogether independent but are subordinate to the
lawful authority of the Roman Pontiff, although enjoying ordinary power
of jurisdiction which they receive directly from the same Supreme
Pontiff."[13]

40. And when We later addressed to you the letter Ad Sinarum gentem, We
again referred to this teaching in these words: "The power of
jurisdiction which is conferred directly by divine right on the Supreme
Pontiff comes to bishops by that same right, but only through the
successor of Peter, to whom not only the faithful but also all bishops
are bound to be constantly subject and to adhere both by the reverence of
obedience and by the bond of unity."[14]

41. Acts requiring the power of Holy Orders which are performed by
ecclesiastics of this kind, though they are valid as long as the
consecration conferred on them was valid, are yet gravely illicit, that
is, criminal and sacrilegious.

42. To such conduct the warning words of the Divine Teacher fittingly
apply: "He who enters not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbs up
another way, is a thief and a robber."[15] The sheep indeed know the true
shepherd's voice. "But a stranger they will not follow, but will flee
from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers."[16]

43. We are aware that those who thus belittle obedience in order to
justify themselves with regard to those functions which they have
unrighteously assumed, defend their position by recalling a usage which
prevailed in ages past. Yet everyone sees that all ecclesiastical
discipline is overthrown if it is in any way lawful for one to restore
arrangements which are no longer valid because the supreme authority of
the Church long ago decreed otherwise. In no sense do they excuse their
way of acting by appealing to another custom, and they indisputably prove
that they follow this line deliberately in order to escape from the
discipline which now prevails and which they ought to be obeying.

44. We mean that discipline which has been established not only for China
and the regions recently enlightened by the light of the Gospel, but for
the whole Church, a discipline which takes its sanction from that
universal and supreme power of caring for, ruling, and governing which
our Lord granted to the successors in the office of St. Peter the Apostle.

45. Well known are the terms of Vatican Council's solemn definition:
"Relying on the open testimony of the Scriptures and abiding by the wise
and clear decrees both of our predecessors, the Roman Pontiffs, and the
general Councils, We renew the definition of the Ecumenical Council of
Florence, by virtue of which all the faithful must believe that 'the Holy
Apostolic See and the Roman Pontiff hold primacy over the whole world,
and the Roman Pontiff himself is the Successor of the blessed Peter and
continues to be the true Vicar of Christ and head of the whole Church,
the father and teacher of all Christians, and to him is the blessed Peter
our Lord Jesus Christ committed the full power of caring for, ruling and
governing the Universal Church....'

46. "We teach, . . . We declare that the Roman Church by the Providence
of God holds the primacy of ordinary power over all others, and that this
power of jurisdiction of the Roman Pontiff, which is truly episcopal, is
immediate. Toward it, the pastors and the faithful of whatever rite and
dignity, both individually and collectively, are bound by the duty of
hierarchical subordination and true obedience, not only in matters which
pertain to faith and morals, but also in those which concern the
discipline and government of the Church spread throughout the whole
world, in such a way that once the unity of communion and the profession
of the same Faith has been preserved with the Roman Pontiff, there is one
flock of the Church of Christ under one supreme shepherd. This is the
teaching of the Catholic truth from which no one can depart without loss
of faith and salvation."[17]

47. From what We have said, it follows that no authority whatsoever, save
that which is proper to the Supreme Pastor, can render void the canonical
appointment granted to any bishop; that no person or group, whether of
priests or of laymen, can claim the right of nominating bishops; that no
one can lawfully confer episcopal consecration unless he has received the
mandate of the Apostolic See.[18]

48. Consequently, if consecration of this kind is being done contrary to
all right and law, and by this crime the unity of the Church is being
seriously attacked, an excommunication reserved specialissimo modo to the
Apostolic See has been established which is automatically incurred by the
consecrator and by anyone who has received consecration irresponsibly
conferred.[19]

49. What then is to be the opinion concerning the excuse added by members
of the association promoting false patriotism, that they had to act as
they alleged because of the need to tend to the souls in those dioceses
which were then without a bishop?

50. It is obvious that no thought is being taken of the spiritual good of
the faithful if the Church's laws are being violated, and further, there
is no question of vacant sees, as they wish to argue in defense, but of
episcopal sees whose legitimate rulers have been driven out or now
languish in prison or are being obstructed in various ways from the free
exercise of their power of jurisdiction. It must likewise be added that
those clerics have been cast into prison, exiled, or removed by other
means, whom the lawful ecclesiastical superiors had designated in
accordance with canon law and the special powers received from the
Apostolic See to act in their place in the government of the dioceses.

51. It is surely a matter for grief that while holy bishops noted for
their zeal for souls are enduring so many trials, advantage is taken of
their difficulties to establish false shepherds in their place so that
the hierarchical order of the Church is overthrown and the authority of
the Roman Pontiff is treacherously resisted.

52. And some have even become so arrogant that they blame the Apostolic
See for these terrible and tragic events (which have certainly been
deliberate accomplishments of the Church's persecutors) even though
everyone knows that the Church has been unable, in the past and at
present, when such information has been needed, to obtain requisite data
about qualified candidates for the episcopacy simply because she was
prevented from communicating freely and safely with the dioceses of China.

53. Venerable brethren and dear children, thus far We have told you of
the anxiety with which we are moved by the errors which certain men are
trying to sow among you, and by the dissensions which are being aroused.
Our intention is that, enlightened and strengthened by the encouragement
of your common father, you may remain steadfast and without blemish in
that faith by which We are united and by which alone We shall obtain
salvation.

54. But now, following the ardent dictates of Our heart, We must tell you
of the close and particular feelings of intimacy which draw Us near to
you. To Our mind come those torments which rend asunder your bodies or
your minds, particularly those which the most valiant witnesses of Christ
are enduring, among whose number are several of Our Venerable Brethren in
the episcopate. Daily at the altar We offer to the Divine Redeemer the
trials of all of them, together with the prayers and sufferings of the
whole Church.

55. Be constant then and put your trust in Him according to the words:
"Cast all your anxiety upon Him, because He cares for you."[20]

56. He sees clearly your anguish and your torments. He particularly finds
acceptable the grief of soul and the tears which many of you, bishops and
priests, religious and laymen, pour forth in secret when they behold the
efforts of those who are striving to subvert the Christians among you.
These tears, these bodily pains and tortures, the blood of the martyrs of
past and present--all will bring it about that, through the powerful
intervention of Mary, the Virgin Mother of God, Queen of China, the
Church in your native land will at long last regain its strength and in a
calmer age, happier days will shine upon it.

57. Relying on this hope, to you and to the flocks committed to your care
We most lovingly grant in the Lord, as a token of divine gifts and a sign
of Our special good will, Our Apostolic Benediction.

58. Given at St. Peter's, in Rome, June 29th, the feast of the Holy
Apostles Peter and Paul, in the year 1958, the 20th of Our Pontificate.